Sikhs worship at first public service at U.S. temple since shooting

August 12, 2012|Reuters

By Brendan O'Brien

OAK CREEK, Wis., Aug 12 (Reuters) - Hundreds of peoplegathered on Sunday at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin for the firstpublic service there since a white supremacist gunned down sixpeople at the temple exactly a week earlier.

They prepared and ate a traditional meal and raised theNashan Sahib, the Sikh flag, before the prayer service on thesame grounds where Wade Michael Page, 40, went on a shootingrampage last Sunday and then killed himself.

"A coward came into destroy us ... and to start a race war,but he came to the wrong place, because it brought us closertogether," said Amardeep Kaleka, whose father, Satwant SinghKaleka, the temple's president, was killed by Page.

Page, a U.S. Army veteran with links to racist groups, alsokilled Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; Prakash Singh, 39;Paramjit Kaur, 41; and Suveg Singh, 84. He injured four others,including a police officer who responded to the scene.

Investigators have not determined why Page targeted the Sikhtemple.

The procession into the temple's main room led worshipperspast a bullet hole in a metal door jam. Below it, a small plaquesaid, "We Are One" and "8-5-12."